Legend of the Five Rings - Godurasan Mura
The Story So Far: The Return The Conscripts Godurasan Mura: Godurasan Mura (The Golden Sun Village) is a small town in the Scorpion lands bordering on those of the Unicorn. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Notable Locations: The Governors Mansion: * A palisade wall with two watchtowers surrounds the manor house which sits at the top of the cliff where it can look over the entire town. The manor house its self is a traditional U shape with a presentation garden in the front. The Temple of Osano-Wo: * The only structure on the Plain of Osano-Wo. Legend says that any other building on the fields would be destroyed by storms. The building is a large U shape and has a Tori gate at its entrance.It features a large apiary from which the monks gather honey which eventually becomes the local speciality mead. The Onsen: * A bath house, at the top of the cliff, that draws its water from the Golden River. It has two main pools, the first is outside and is a simple pool that flows into and out of the River its self and the main bath is a heated interior pool. It also offers massages and other forms of pampering. The Magistrates offices: * The Magistrates offices are built opposite the Kaiu Lift where the Ascension Road and Descension Road meet., so that peasants needing travel papers do not need to go up to the top and disturb the homes of Samurai with their presence. An old 2-floor building with a bench outside. The Amphitheatre * Cultural hub of the town. built into the base of the great cliff, it plays host to numerous acting troupes during the summer months. The Mead Distillery: * Honey from the temple of Osano-Wo's Apiary comes here to be distilled into the local speciality drink of the town. It's much famed mead. It sits on the corner of the Way of Treasures and Market Street, opposite the public park. The Park * A public field in the middle of the town that sits between Market Street and Temple Road bounded by the peasant homes to the North and across the road, the Eta hovels to the South. Inns: The Broken Oar * A disreputable bar near the docks frequented mostly by Mantis sailors that ply the river and monks who really want to get drunk. It lies at the end of Temple Road within the boundaries of the Fishing villiage. The Scarlet Dawn * An inn that caters mostly for tourists, has an antiquated style that harkens back to the greatest days of the Empire. It sits opposite the Amphitheatre on the corner of Ascension Road and Inn Street. The Golden River: * The Golden River flows from unicorn lands, through the village through Scorpion, Minor Clan, Crab and Crane lands. It is the lifeblood of trade for the village as the waterfall here prevents boats from continuing their journey up and down the river, so boats unload their cargo, move up or down the cliff using the Kaiu built tug lift and transfer to new vessels for their onward journey. It is an important point for the Scorpions to monitor river traffic and apply taxes on the passing merchants. The tug lift is man-powered but well engineered. There is a narrow alternative path on the other side of the river. Main Characters: The Seven Heroes of Green Plum Wine Isawa Hisen - (Player character) A passionate Phoenix who is frustrated that he is destined to become a Shugenja rather than a Bushi, He stands about 5 foot 3 inches (1.6 meters) tall, with a thin athletic frame and long black hair. He keeps one eye covered either with a red half-mask or by keeping a lock of hair in-front of it as one of his eyes is a bright amber colour. Unfortunately he looks very effeminate and has in the past been mistaken for a girl which led to the nickname shrine maiden when he was growing up. He generally wears a red Kimono with a flame motif and places an emphasis on his family Mon over his heart, with his clan mon, being only slightly less prominent. Character Sheet and notes Nobarah (Plum Flower) - (Player character) The earliest record of her is when she was but a small child arriving at the temple with Blue Mountain 13 years ago. Her earliest memories are playing with her friends in the village and getting stung by a bee playing near the apiary. She really dislikes the place now and it is a frequent place for punishment for something she doesn't always know. When her friends are off at school she spends the extra time reading books about history and philosophy arguing with the adults about the finer points and meaning. She stands up for the smaller kids and when she gets in over her head with the bullies Blue Mountain is somehow always there to break it up. Her favourite tasks are tending the garden and bringing fresh flowers to the Onsen where if it is quiet or her friends are with her she can get a bath in the hot water. She finds meditation in the water best everything is relaxed and her mind can freely open up, it is also where many of her more accurate visions have come from. She likes being in tune with the life forces around her it is the closest thing to flying she knows. She really wishes to earn a place at the side of the Kami and to be a part of their adventures. Her bubbly cheerfulness and positive view makes her a welcome sight around town where she brings her infectious smile to everyone she meets. * Nobarah's Journal Akodo Ashira - (Player character) A Lion Bushi with an overbearing mother. Keen, young looking short but stocky (5 foot even), unimpressive. Overlooked by his superiors for his stature. Idealistic, terrible liar. Renowned as a Great Player of the game Go... * Ashira's Journal Shosuro Tomo - (NPC) The warm friendly Scorpion Bushi, who for his Gempuku was asked to deliver a message from his Daimyo to his Father. Naturally he did not read the letter. He is betrothed to the 3rd daughter of the Governor of Ryoko Owari. Shosuro Tomoko - (NPC) A sharp tongued and reserved woman who enjoys reading and is training to be an actress. Her Gempuku challenge is to find a worthy play and ensure that it is never performed. Shinjo Xian Chi - (NPC) Daughter of Xian Qin. She is somewhat plain in appearance and approaching her Gempuku, she has been tasked with slaying a bandit. She wears riding armour in the field but her formal robes are lined with fur in blue and purple. Blue Mountain - (NPC) Buruyama - An enormous mute monk who received mysterious advice from the Daimyo of the Dragon Clan. His past is a mystery and as he does not speak or write, it is almost impossible to know the details of his story so far.He does have an old deep scar across his throat that accounts for his muteness.. Nabarah's closest friend and confidant. The Shosuro Governors family (Scorpion): The Governors household * Shosuro Furutaka (Governor of the town) * Shosuro Emiko (Wife of the Governor and promotor of the town) ** Tomo (The Governors Good-natured son) ** Tomoko (The Governors quite daughter who enjoys writing) * Shosuro Hodan (The Governors Brother and an investor in businesses) * Bayushi Youichi (Efficient Seneschal of the house) * Bayushi Rontaro (A new and more energetic trade advisor, who has a rivalry with the Governors brother Hodan) Other major local families and groups: The Akodo (Lion) * Akodo Bantaro (The Governors War Adviser) * Matsu Misiko (Bantaro's domineering wife) ** Akodo Ashira (Young Lion Samurai approaching Gempuku) ** Akodo Danzo (Ashira's elder brother, a bit of a bully who enjoys taking things out on Ashira) * Matsu Akane (Matsu Misiko's more successful sister) The Isawa (Phoenix): * Isawa Kenji (LIbrarian and void Shugenja) - A well respected and powerful Phoenix Shugenja with a rare aptitude for the void. However he was headstrong in his theories and willingly subjected his children to the energies of the Void in the hopes of encouraging them to develop the same rare talent he possessed. Because of this and a long-running feud with another branch of the family, he was asked to take up a position in Scorpion lands. * Isawa Reiko (formerly Bayushi Rieko, Kenji's wife and patron of the arts) - A Scorpion prone to gossip who was not good at keeping family secrets, so she was cultivated for her beauty rather than discretion and was married off to cement a trade deal with the Phoenix and is disappointed that the marriage has not gained her family a more successful ally. However she has grown to love her husband and their children. ** Isawa Nariko (Their quiet and spiritual Samurai daughter) - Isawa Nariko - His sister, who hates her fate just as much as her brother, she always wanted to live the life of a Shugenja communing with the kami and leading the great religious processions and festivals. However she has no natural aptitude with the kami at all. So she has been shipped off to study in the Shiba Bushi School, where she excels at archery, iaijutsu and etiquette. Although where he is passionate and stubborn, she is quiet and subtle, something her instructors have mistaken for contemplation instead of simmering resentment. She looks very similar to her brother; Androgynous with an ill-omened yellow eye, older and slightly taller with a somewhat butch appearance. ** Isawa Hisen (Their martial and passionate Shugenja son) - See the PCs section. *** Todashi (Hisen's servant) - A local Heinen boy about the same age as Hisen. He is one of the children of Iswa Kenji’s own personal servant (Chu the elder) and has been trained in all of the basic daily tasks needed to help keep the household running and serve a Samurai. Although he can be a bit lazy at times. This rarely needs any direct punishment, as any criticism of him in earshot of Chu the Elder will leave Tadashi with plenty of extra tasks as punishment. Tadashi is quiet but perceptive and enjoys eating well, he is happy that he is generally well treated and particularly looks forward to watching Kabuki theater when Hisen goes to watch it. * Bayushi Yokuto - Isawa Reiko's brother (Hisen's uncle). A man who is almost never seen without a drink in his hands, always threatening to disgrace the family with his alcoholism, but never quite doing so. He is infact a very well regarded Bushi who is known for solving complicated problems with haste and discretion. He spoils his family rotten and tries to expose them to things outside of the phoenix. A resident of Ryoko Owari, but a regular visitor. (A "Fixer" of problems). * Isawa Hisen (Long dead ancestor)- His Great Grandfather and namesake was a notable magistrate whose work put an end to several notable groups of bandits at the edge of the Empire and confronted corrupt Samurai, holding them to account for their misdeeds. His armour rests in the family shrine which Hisen keeps in good repair and regularly leaves offerings to his noble ancestor. His Great Grandfather married a Crane and cemented good relations with the Kakita family that later led to Kakita Ukiharo teaching the younger Hisen the basics of the sword. The Shinjo (Unicorn) * Xian Qin (Head of the household and Caravan Master) ** Shinjo Xian Chi (His Daughter - See the Main characters section.) * Ide Yuan Song - Shinjo Yin Qin's Negotiator * Moto Zhu - Shinjo Xin Qin's Enforcer The Magistrate (The Crane): * Doji Kazumi (Emerald Magistrate who maintains offices in the town, but only comes by once every few weeks) ** Kanzo (The Magistrates Yoriki, a reliable ronin) The Monks: * The Abbot - Kaminari ** Blue Mountain - Buruyama - Huge, mute and usually shirtless. Apparently his origins are a mystery. Has an old deep scar across his throat that accounts for his muteness. ** The Temple guardian with the Naginata? *** Nobarra - A Junior monk who hates bees, see the Main cast section. **** Noringo Sohei - Even younger monk. The Amphitheatre * Shosuro Suzoku - Lead actress who oversees the Amphitheatre * Yogo Kaze - Amphitheatre Stage manager * Kato - Ronin Amphitheatre "Porter" Other People in Godurasan: * Togashi Rensen - A Genial monk-like Dragon who oversees the Onsen * Yogo Gusai - A traditionalist Dress-maker * Asahina Inoko - A young passionate Asahina who is trying to usurp Gusai in the fashion industry * Shosuro HIzuma - Scorpion overseer of the Mead distillery * Shosuro Hatsuko - Sailmaker and Boat Outfitter * Murimoto Kurai - Hunter, Trappper and Guide * Soshi Harun - Owner of the Scarlet Dawn People Outside the village: * Daidoji Mieko -Ryoko-Owari A samurai-ko of the Daidoji family in the Crane clan about the same age as him. She is somewhat homely in appearance and is the 9th child in her family, making her an unlikely prospect for marriage, so she was able to pursue her own interests. She lives in Ryoko-Owari (Where he met her whilst visiting the city and her family visited their village the following year) and enjoys nature but rarely has a chance to go beyond the bounds of the city. She writes to him of the city gossip and plays, whilst he sends her small inexpert paintings of wildlife and vistas he has found or tales of his exploration of the countryside. They also exchange slightly rebellious haiku, as the subjects of their poems are more about their personal experiences rather than the natural world. They also play Shogi by post and exchange letters every week or so. * Iuchi Keiji - heavily A courier for the Unicorn clan slightly older than Hisen who regularly travels through the village on his way to Ryoko Owari and who has always been a good guest and a friend of Kenji Isawa and the source of much of the family's news. * Shiba Hiro - lands (A school friend of Hisen's) A Shugenja adopted into the Shiba clan when he displayed a sensitivity to the Kami. He and Hisen bonded at school over their shared love of nature and Samurai tales. Hisen also saw it as his duty to help him adapt to life in the school and defend him from bullies. * Isawa Hisa - lands (School teacher back in Asahina lands) An Isawa shugenja focusing on Earth Kami who served the Empire in her youth and lost most of one arm to the sword of a bandit Ronin. Serious and discipline focused. She accepted Hisen as a student after intercession from his father suggesting that he might flourish better under a different style of tuition. She has designed a spell that allows her to summon an animate arm of metal in place of the missing one, although she only uses this on rare occasions. She treats her students like she treats Earth Kami. Explaining things clearly (something she can afford to do with low ranking students) and demanding immediate obedience. * Kakita Ukiharo - lands Hisen's swordsmanship instructor. A Kakita duellist formerly Yojimbo to a Dojo courtier. A bon vivant who loved the parties of courtly life, when her courtier retired, she found herself lost, so decided to take up acting instead and retired to the Golden Plains of the Asahina. as a favour to his family she instructed him in the basic forms of the sword whilst he studied there. Other notes: * Prophecy Isawa Uikku - Uikku, known as "the serene prophet", was discovered by the Phoenix Clan in 72. The Phoenix originally believed him to be just an abandoned child, but his knowledge of the Tao of Shinsei was impossible for a child his age and station, and it was soon discovered he also had the gift of prophecy. His life was short, dying only eighteen years later, but in that time he was fully accepted into the Phoenix Clan and Isawa family. Discovering and decyphering a lost prophecy of his is Hisen’s Gempuku project. * Hida Shosan Magistrate - The predecessor to Doji Shosan who was active 13 years ago when the 4 Scorpion Justicars visited the town for unknown reasons. * Political Events: ** A long-running feud between the Matsu and the Akodo families was due to be ended by marrying the Daimyos of both families together. However in securing the wedding gift (A Crane castle promised by the Akodo) the Akodo Daimyo died. The next in line for the position was a more bookish priestly man, somebody the Matsu Daimyo would not approve of and who is already promised to marry the Phoenix Mistress of the Void. Now everybody is waiting to see what the Emperor decides to do about the situation. ** The Scorpion have recently defeated the Hare clan for some insult that the Hare Daimyo visited upon the Scorpion. After their defeat the Hare clan peasants have fled the Hare lands are now causing a refugee problem up and down the Golden River. Back to Main Page